Iowa View: Snail darter has lessons for debate on abortion

12:59 AM,
Sep. 20, 2013

Written by

Tom Carney

The first time I recall being concerned about the environment was in 1973 when a dam was being built in Tennessee, placing the snail darter - a fish about the size of a minnow - at risk of extinction.

I had never heard of a snail darter and couldn't have cared less about its existence until I started reading about what its extinction would mean. The case was controversial, going to the U.S. Supreme Court. The court ruled that the dam, though 90 percent built at a cost by then of over $100 million, was not exempt from the newly passed Endangered Species Act. Congress later exempted it and the dam was ...